The late Pimp C once described his music not as “hip hop records,” but as “country rap tunes.” We don’t know if Topeka hip hop talent, Stik Figa, would take it as an insult if we described his music similarly, but we do know that a fellow Top-City hip hop artist, Str8jakkett, recently described himself and his DVS Mindz crew as “some country boys” in an interview we did with him a couple of weeks ago. Stik Figa has made it abundantly clear to us that Str8jakkett has been his “mentor and motivator” in their combined efforts to wake up KC Metro heads to Topeka’s hip hop collective. On Stik Figa’s latest, the TwentyFourSeven EP, he teams up with fellow IN Crew affiliate, Lenny D (KC), who pushes buttons and cuts around these 7 songs, carving out a minimal shell for Stik’s rich, shrewd raps and Top-City twang to fill out. On the intro and “The Truth,“ Stik gets busy with some flashy 5 and 6 syllable rhyme combos, while “24-7” pairs Stik with another one of his blasphemously-talented Top-City brethren, Reggie B, for the finest chorus on the album. The track Lenny D laced on this one sounds like something off the cutting-room floor of a Devin The Dude recording session. “Groundhog Day” is a glimpse into the everyday life of Stik Figa, wherein he details, “I’m writing rhymes on my lunch break, sittin’ in the car,” and “Nowadays I watch my mouth, they say that talk is cheap/ Well tell that to Sprint and AT&T.” We figured it was appropriate enough to not rack up cell phone minutes on Stik’s phone, so we conducted the following interview with him through e-mail to find out what’s really good with Topeka, and why no one should feel ashamed to rep their town, big or small.
DEMENCHA: What’s life like in Topeka? When you come up to KC to do a show or record with IN Crew, are there things that you experience or see in Kansas City that kind of throw you for a loop?
Stik Figa: Life in Topeka is, for lack of a better word, uneventful. There is not alot goin on here in the way of entertainment, in the opinion of alot of people including myself. Its the biggest small town next to Reno, NV. We have all the same problems as a big city, as far as crime and poverty, but it still feels like a small town, because thats really what it is at the end of the day. I was actually living in the Kansas City area for about two years, so not much i would say caught me off gaurd, but the amount of oppurtunity out here verses back in Topeka is vast and something i have always wanted to take advantage of. I guess its just all about perspective.
DEMENCHA: You’re originally from Memphis, right?
Stik Figa: Yes, i consider Memphis to be my second home. All my family is either originally from there or Arkansas, and i got alot of my mentoring from a MC out there named The Mighty Quinn, in a crew called Fyte Club, and it has shaped me as a man first and a artist second.
DEMENCHA: Tell us more about the influence that Str8jakkett and DVS Mindz had on you as a young artist on the come up in Topeka.
Stik Figa: Str8jakkett and DVS Mindz are one of the main reasons i am even still attempting this (the rap game). They showed me that dudes from in my lil town can make a big impact. Stu has been mentoring me and showin me his support from day one, and i appreciate that more than cats can understand! Thats my big bro right there, always with sound advice and encouragement!
DEMENCHA: You said earlier on the phone that you feel blessed to be a Top-City guy and have so many opportunities to perform in KC and get exposure. Could you talk more about that?
Stik Figa: Cause Topeka is where I’m from, and im not ashamed of it at all. I meet alot of people from here, and they’re embarassed to be from Topeka, or any other small town for that matter. And i think that’s corny. You from where you from, you didn’t ask for it, but I am who I am, and my attitude and talent is what will get me places, not my address! So i am using these oppurtunities to show other Topeka cats they can do the same if they perfect their craft and grind hard ya know.
DEMENCHA: What is the average Topeka hip hop artist’s attitude/perspective on the KC rap scene and their own efforts to get exposure outside of Top-City?
Stik Figa: I cant speak for everyone, only myself, and my perspective is work hard and think outside of the box!
DOWNLOAD STIK FIGA’S NEW RECORD, the TWENTYFOURSEVEN EP, RIGHT HERE—> http://www.sendspace.com/file/dstypp
p.s. Befriend Stik Figa at his myspace page, and check out his crew at innatesounds.com
Chris Mills
Editor-in-Chief at Demencha Magazine LLC and Demencha.com. Send music and event submissions to chris@demencha.com.
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str8jakkett (3 years ago)
real talk stik for president!!!!!!